The aim of the Flood Management and Mitigation Programme (FMMP) is to prevent, minimise and mitigate people’s suffering and economic losses due to floods, while also preserving the environmental benefits of yearly flooding.
The programme has five components:
The heart of the programme is a Regional Flood Centre, which provides technical and coordination services to the four countries in the Lower Mekong Basin.
The programme’s components are involved in undertaking policy discussions on land use planning and infrastructure development in relation to flood impacts; implementing flood proofing measures; providing transboundary mediation services; performing analyses of risks and impacts; and strengthening the region’s capacity to manage flood emergencies.
The FMMP went through a preparatory phase in the first half of 2005 with the opening of an interim Regional Flood Management and Mitigation Centre (RFMMC) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in April 2005, marking its key achievement. In June 2005 the flood forecasting function was transferred from the MRC Secretariat (MRCS) in Vientiane, Lao PDR to the new RFMMC, ready for the 2005 flood forecasting season.
In 2005 the programme also signed the agreement concerning the operations of the RFMMC with the Cambodian Government. Construction of a permanent centre will begin in 2006 and completion is scheduled for 2007.
A series of achievements in 2005 have established a good base for the programme’s future success.
Acheivements for Component 4, implemented by MRC and GTZ together with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), include:
Achievements for Component 5 include:
During 2005 work continued on the USAID/Office of Foreign Disaster Assistancefunded project “Provision of Flood Early Warning to Flood Vulnerable Communities in the Lower Mekong Basin, Phase: Cambodia and Lao PDR. Now entering its fourth year in Cambodia, the project is working with the American Red Cross and Action Contre La Faim in 40 villages in four flood-prone provinces.
In 2006 the project will also launch its activities in the Lao PDR, working with the National Disaster Management Office and other relevant line agencies. Five vulnerable villages in Champassak Province will be the pilot sites and various activities will be carried out in preparation for the 2006 flood season, including field surveys and installation of flood marks and village billboards.
The project to establish the Mekong Hydrological Cycle Observing System (Mekong- HYCOS) was endorsed by all member countries and funding has been secured. It has been decided that Mekong-HYCOS will become part of the MRC’s Information and Knowledge Management Programme.
In addition to moving forward with the new RFMMC in 2006, the programme will focus on establishing national flood management and mitigation units located at NMCs; improving monitoring and forecasting operations; compiling an inventory of existing and planned flood-related infrastructure; and establishing a mediation and coordination section to deal with trans-boundary flood issues.